


둘이면 아버지와 아들, 셋이면 가족이다

by kaiohtic



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Kim Jongin | Kai-centric, M/M, Single Parent Kim Jongin | Kai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-26 12:00:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13235301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiohtic/pseuds/kaiohtic
Summary: Jongin thinks he's doing fine as single father, but there might be someone who disagrees.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I tried thinking of an English title, but I couldn't come up with anything I liked, so there's the Korean one that sounds a lot better to me than the English translation does? Translated to English, the title says _Two are father and son, three are a family_.

A lot of people ask Jongin why he doesn't hire a caretaker for his son. Being a single dad is exhausting, they reason, since Jongin does not only have to work full-time to ensure a stable income for two, but he needs to raise a child as well, and childcare is a lot of work. Everyone else would ask for support, but not so Jongin. For one, he doesn't trust anyone enough to leave his precious Taeoh under their care, and two, he enjoys spending as much time as possible with the small bundle of joy that is his son.  
  
Jongin loves pampering Taeoh. It's one way to make up for the lack of maternal love, but it's also a way to express his adoration for his son. In Jongin's eyes, there is no child more perfect than Taeoh - always cheerful, always happy, and so well-behaved. Taeoh is not spoiled or demanding, never throwing tantrums, neither in public, nor at home, and that only makes Jongin want to cherish his child more and more. Taeoh is a smart, sensitive child, he would doesn’t look like he could develop bad habits and traits at all.  
  
 _If only he could spend more time with Taeoh_ , Jongin thinks as he heads towards the kindergarten to pick up his son. Unfortunately, that is not possible since he wants to stand on his own two feet and not rely on his parents. They are worrying about him enough as it is, and having them babysit Taeoh occasionally is already more help than he wants to ask for. They are old, having spent decades with taking care of Jongin and his older sister, so he doesn’t want to stay a burden to them much longer.  
  
Jongin tries to look at the bright side of things. It could always be worse, right? Jongin is lucky to be employed in a company that might demand great performance, but the company gives him a lot of employee benefits as well. As single father, he is allowed to leave work up to an hour earlier than everyone else - at five in the afternoon, instead of six o'clock, as long as they can finish their work within time. His son is also taken care of in the company's own nursery school that is close by the headquarters. Jongin needs about five to ten minutes to pick Taeoh up and another ten minutes to walk home. His company had helped him finding an apartment close by, too, all for the employee’s convenience.  
  
Jongin walks past the fence and peeks into the kindergarten’s backyard, trying to find Taeoh there, but his son is not in sight. He is probably inside, all dressed up and ready to go home the moment Jongin calls for him.  
  
As expected, a tiny body flings itself against his legs, arms clinging to them as the child's cheery voice is screaming  _daddy, daddy, let's go home_. Jongin laughs softly and picks the boy up, smiling at a face that is almost identical to his. The eyes resemble his, he'd like to think, and the complexion, too. Both Jongin and Taeoh tan easily in the sun, and although that had been reason for a lot of teasing when Jongin had been younger, Taeoh seems completely fine with it.  
  
 _Because I look like daddy,_  Taeoh had reasoned with him once.  _And daddy is handsome. Yeri said so. And Yeri's mommy too._  
  
Jongin is aware of how attractive he is. Even as single father, there are still men and women alike interested in him. But, Jongin has sworn to himself that he would devote all his life to Taeoh only, so he doesn't respond to flirtations. He keeps all his relationships friendly and platonic. After all, they are doing okay without a second parent and Taeoh doesn't seem to mind either. Jongin alone is enough. No one else could love his son as much as Jongin is doing. A potential partner might demand more of Jongin’s attention which equals less time to dote on his son if he decides to work it out for his partner to stay. And would that ever happen? No.  
  
"Daddy, daddy," Taeoh whines, the sound successfully drawing Jongin's attention back to the present where his son is still clinging to his neck. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but Jongin doesn’t mind. He laughs softly when Taeoh presses a big, wet smooch to his cheek.  
  
"Let's go home," Taeoh says and wiggles in Jongin’s hold. Jongin puts Taeoh down and chuckles.  
  
"But first, we need to say goodbye to Miss Kwon," Jongin reminds his son who nods and runs back into his classroom obediently. Jongin follows him to the door and peeks inside where the kindergarten teacher is squatting down in front of Taeoh for them both to exchange goodbyes and a hug. When she straightens up, she waves at Jongin before another child demands her attention.  
  
"Let's go," Jongin says, feeling all warm and happy just by holding a small, warm hand in his. It's familiar and assuring, knowing that his son is with him. Jongin still prefers being the one to watch over his little angel, rather than letting someone else do it. Like this, he can confirm that Taeoh is safe.  
  
"Daddy," Taeoh starts chirping happily. He tells Jongin about everything that has happened in class today. It's no different from usual, except once Taeoh stops, Jongin hears smacking sounds and frowns. Glancing down to his son, he sees the boy eating a lollipop that he doesn't remember packing into Taeoh’s lunchbox in the morning.  
  
"Where did you get that lollipop from?" Jongin asks.  
  
"Miss Kwon!" Taeoh replies quickly and gives him a toothy grin. Jongin can't help but melt a bit on the inside. Of course, who else could be giving the kids candy, apart from the kindergarten teacher? It's not like strangers could simply go in and out of the kindergarten without raising suspicion and getting questioned.  
  
"Daddy, look, Uncle Hun is there!" Taeoh says all of a sudden and pulls away from Jongin. He runs towards Sehun who is coming out of the supermarket with a bag of groceries in each hand. That doesn't deter Taeoh from jumping right into Jongin's best friend though, and said best friend drops his groceries to pick up Taeoh, both their laughter carried over to Jongin who is approaching them slowly.  
  
"Did you just get off work, too?" Jongin asks in lieu of a greeting. They are close enough to drop any kind of formality and jump right into conversation.  
  
"Actually, I took the day off," Sehun says, rocking back and forth on his heels to entertain a giggling Taeoh who is still clinging to his neck.  
  
"Wanna grab dinner with us then?" Jongin offers, but Sehun shakes his head, much to Taeoh's dismay. The boy whines softly and Jongin doesn't need to look at his son to know that he is using his puppy eyes on Sehun.  
  
"I'd love to, but I can't," Sehun explains. "I have a dinner date with my mom."  
  
"Let's grab dinner some other time then," Jongin says and helps Sehun to pry off Taeoh who seems unwilling to let go. He smiles apologetically at both his son and Sehun. He doesn't like bothering other people and feels bad for Taeoh to show such a bratty behavior now, but he also feels sorry towards Taeoh who has taken a great liking to Sehun long ago. Jongin can't explain why, but he guesses it must be Sehun's playful and at times childish behavior that makes it easy for Sehun to interact with children. It's not only Taeoh, but his niece Rahee, too, who like Sehun.  
  
"Uncle Hun will see you soon, okay Taeoh?" Sehun asks. Taeoh is still sulking, lips pushed forward in a pout and arms crossed in front of his chest. It's cute rather than intimidating to both adults, who glance at each other and smile, although Sehun is trying to hide his amusement to not upset the child further.  
  
"Okay?" Sehun asks again, and finally Taeoh nods. He walks forward and slings his arms around Sehun's neck when the adult squats down to the same eyelevel.  
  
"See you soon," Taeoh whispers and lets go, his arms now circling Jongin's legs. Sehun nods and gets up, picking up the grocery bags before he takes his leave.  
  
Taeoh is still watching Sehun's retreating form until Jongin ruffles his hair.  
  
"Wanna have fries and hamburgers today?" Jongin asks and bites down his laughter. Taeoh, like every other child, is easy to distract and bribe. Just at the mention of fast food he forgets about Sehun, eyes shining brightly. He tugs at Jongin's jacket in an attempt to pull his father forward towards the family restaurant they frequent.  
  
  
  
  
  
It's a warm, sunny spring day. After all the snow and cold, Jongin is glad to see the sun shining through fluffier looking clouds. There is life everywhere he goes - people leaving the house to spend time outside and soak up the sunlight, and flowers blooming everywhere.  
  
It's a Sunday, and for once Jongin doesn't have work that he needs to take home and finish in his small, cramped office that is serving as Taeoh's playroom as well. His workspace is small and limited, just a desk in the corner of the room where he put his computer and stacks up files he needs. The rest of the space is Taeoh's personal playground.  
  
Jongin never regretted his decision to spoil his son like that. Taeoh's cheerful laughter and his excited chatter, the wide smiles and animated gestures whenever his son disrupts him while working just to show him something he just discovered doesn't annoy Jongin at all. Rather, he is relieved to find his son trusting him and never hesitating to come running to him at all times, just like now.  
  
It's reassuring to know that Taeoh never walks away too far. He stays within sight, running forth and back, pulling at Jongin's hand to make Jongin hurry up so they arrive at the park sooner, but letting go of the hand quickly to run forward and examine something that has caught his eye, only to come back and run forth again. It's cute to Jongin, who has his phone in his hand, ready to film and take pictures of his adorable son, all to document his baby's childhood, because kids grow up too fast.  
  
Jongin finds Taeoh growing up too fast, too. It feels like yesterday that two months old Taeoh has been handed over to him by a mother who does not care nor love. It took a lot of begging, as well as a lot of money to make the girl he accidentally got pregnant on a drunk night to keep the baby. There were no feelings between mother and father, just a few dates because the attraction was there, not the love. Nonetheless, Jongin couldn't let anyone end an innocent life that hasn’t yet started, even less so when it was his own flesh and blood.  
  
He dated the girl after he learned of the results of that one night, did his best to provide for her and be a good boyfriend, a good soon to be husband. Except, that was not what Heejung wanted. She didn't want an early domestic life. She was dreaming big, of an exciting social life at university, of travelling the world and making career. She didn't want a family –  _not in my twenties, Jongin_  – and so they never got married. They just lived together until she gave birth to the most beautiful baby in the entire universe.  
  
Jongin had thought that maybe the sight of her newborn baby would awaken natural motherly instincts, that after giving birth she would have a change of heart and stay, but she didn't, and Jongin didn't pressure her either. People are different, and if she wasn't ready for this, then Jongin would take care of Taeoh on his own.  
  
For some reason, Jongin had hoped for Heejung to change her mind along the way, but it was clear that she wanted a clean cut. Two months after Taeoh's birth, Heejung had given up her parental custody and packed her luggage, and Jongin hasn't heard of her since, only seeing facebook updates and new pictures on instagram. It's not like he cares though. Not anymore. He might not be able to give his son a complete family, but he can handle raising a child on his own. Taeoh has never asked about his mother either. Jongin could perfectly handle both roles. He could be the dad and the mom for his child.  
  
"Daddy," Taeoh shouts, two hands forming a makeshift megaphone around his mouth, as if it would enhance his voice and boost up the volume. "Hurry up."  
  
Jongin chuckles and jogs over to the park's entrance where Taeoh is waiting for him. His son is pointing at the candy floss stand and Jongin ends up buying one that looks like that rabbit character, the one from that messenger app, not minding that it's overpriced. Anything for his child, right?  
  
They walk together, Taeoh pressed to his side because the park is crowded. They are not the only ones who have decided to make use of the nice weather to go outside for a change of air. There are families everywhere - mothers taking care of the youngest children, fathers talking loudly to one another and the other, bigger children running around playing tag and laughing.  
  
"Do you want to join them and make some new friends?" Jongin asks his son who shakes his head. Taeoh just clings to him more, accidentally smearing some candy floss onto Jongin's jeans. Jongin sighs, but doesn't scold Taeoh who looks apologetic. He can't be upset with his son when the boy knows that he has made a mistake and apologized.  
  
"Sorry," Taeoh mumbles, eyes wide and moist.  
  
"It's okay," Jongin says and pulls his son into a hug after picking up the candyfloss. He doesn't need more sticky sugar on his clothes. "It's not going to leave stains. I'll just wash it out later at home."  
  
Truthfully, Jongin is not too sure about that, but if it's really just sugar, it should be fine, right? Even if it left stains, this is just some old washed out pair of jeans. Taeoh's smile is more precious to him than clothes he could dismiss anytime, so when Taeoh finally stops making that sad face, he takes a relieved breath.  
  
"Do you want to finish this candy floss?" Jongin asks and Taeoh shakes his head.  
  
"Daddy can eat the rest," Taeoh says and smiles, and Jongin does, although he doesn't like sweet, sugary things (with the exception of his son, but that is the kind of sweet and sugary that he can tolerate).  
  
"Aw, aren't you two cute together," a very familiar voice coos at them. It takes a longer moment for Jongin to recognize who it is, and his son, who has been quicker, has already left his side to run to Sehun, arms stretched out towards the adult, demanding to be picked up.  
  
Jongin straightens up and sighs softly. He has a hard time to suppress the stabbing feeling of jealousy whenever he sees his son's enthusiastic reactions when seeing Sehun. Sometimes it feels like Taeoh likes Sehun more than Jongin, his own father, and that thought makes Jongin sad, although he would never admit that.  
  
"What a coincidence," Jongin says. Sehun's eyes are twinkling in amusement, mockingly so, as if he knew what was going through Jongin's head. Jongin hopes that his expression hasn't given him away, but it most likely did, especially to someone who has always known him very well. They weren't best friends for no reason, and he didn’t select Sehun to be Taeoh’s godfather for no reason either.  
  
"Yeah," Sehun just agrees and laughs softly when Taeoh demands some of the candy floss all of a sudden.  
  
"Daddy, give Uncle Hun some, too," Taeoh demands, and again, Jongin can't say no. He tries to hand over the stick with the sweet treat, but Sehun's hands are occupied, wrapped around Taeoh's body to keep the boy safe and steady against his chest.  
  
"Feed him," Taeoh demands, so Jongin does, although the feeling of Sehun's lips brushing against his fingers feels strangely intimate.  _Too_ intimate. This is not what best friends do, is it? Sehun doesn't show any sign of discomfort, and so Jongin shakes off the feeling and tries his best to regard this as normal. It probably is. Jongin is just overthinking, as always.  
  
They stand awkwardly huddled together with Jongin and Sehun sharing the candyfloss since Taeoh refuses to let go of Sehun. To make up for not playing with Taeoh on the other day, Taeoh insists, screaming when Sehun tries to put him down on the ground, so Sehun keeps carrying him around.  
  
Jongin is embarrassed at his son's sudden spoiled behavior, but Sehun shows nothing but adoration towards Taeoh, so Jongin is assured to some extent, although there are still worries nagging at him. What if Sehun doesn't show his annoyance? His best friend is known for having a poker face after all.  
  
"Should we buy another candy floss?" Sehun asks once they have finished the one Jongin has bought.  
  
"Taeoh, you didn't eat much, right? You should have eaten more," Sehun continues to coo, but Taeoh shakes his head.  
  
"I'm full," the boy says, so Sehun drops him despite the shrieking protests. Jongin closes his eyes, his head hurting for a second.  
  
"If you're full, that means we have to play a lot so you can feel hungry and eat more nice treats again," Sehun says. "Don't you want some ice cream later?"  
  
Jongin shoots Sehun a glare. Although he is a doting father, Jongin knows that it's not good for children to eat so many sweets. It's not good for anyone.  _No,_  Jongin mouths at Sehun and shakes his head vehemently, but Sehun just chuckles.  
  
"Let's go, Taeoh."  
  
Jongin is left standing there to watch his own son running after Sehun.  
  
  
  
  
  
An hour of playing tag later, the three of them are exhausted. Jongin didn't plan on exercising, but he figures he can't let Sehun hog his son. He can't let Taeoh get too attached to Sehun either, not to an extent that makes him prefer Sehun over Jongin. So when Sehun offers to buy them treats, Jongin tells him no. Jongin is going to be the one buying ice cream.  
  
"You want melon, right?" Jongin asks Taeoh for confirmation, but his son shakes his head.  
  
"No, I want Uncle Hun's," Taeoh says and makes grabby hands towards Sehun who willingly squats down and shares his cup with strawberry and blueberry ice cream.  
  
"I thought you liked melon best?" Jongin says and shakes his head, sighing.  
  
"No. Taeoh likes strawberry and blueberry now," Taeoh replies and giggles. Jongin doesn't understand what is going on, but he definitely caught Sehun winking at his son and the two of them breaking out in laughter together. It worries him to see Taeoh keeping secrets from him, but this is Sehun, someone he trusts. Hopefully, Sehun is not planning to steal away what’s most important to Jongin – his son.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Taeoh," Jongin calls out, frowning slightly since this is the first time that his son is not waiting by the door. This is the first time he sees Taeoh focused on a toy instead of anxiously waiting for his father to pick him up. Not that Jongin wants to see his only son being so clingy and stick to him at all times because a healthy human being needs social interaction with his peers. Nonetheless, this is an odd sight to Jongin.  
  
"Daddy?" Taeoh asks and turns his head, smile widening until it reaches his eyes. His son gets up quickly then and rushes over, almost tripping and falling in the process, but with two steps forward and strong arms, Jongin catches his baby securely.  
  
"Hello, my boy," Jongin greets and can't help but chuckle when Taeoh starts laughing.  _So carefree and innocent_ , Jongin thinks and hopes his son can stay that way for a long time, untainted and unblemished by the dark, corrupt world around them.  
  
"You weren't waiting for me as usual," Jongin notes, to which Taeoh seems a little flustered.  
  
"I played," comes the quick response. "And the other children are still here, too."  
  
Jongin ruffles Taeoh's hair. He's not mad at Taeoh. It's not unusual for children to forget about time and place when they are immersed in their games.  
  
"Alright, let's put that toy back into the box and then get ready to go home," Jongin prompts, but Taeoh shakes his head. He holds the red toy car close to his chest, not wanting to give it away.  
  
"Mine," Taeoh says and pouts at Jongin. "It's children's day."  
  
And it's only now that Jongin realizes that he could have asked to go home earlier to spend the day with his son, like every other parent would do. They would take their children to the amusement park or the zoo, anywhere, and shower them with love, but Jongin forgot. He didn’t miss it last year, but with the ongoing project at work, it slipped his mind, and now it's nagging at his consciousness, even if Taeoh isn't visibly upset with him.  
  
"Did you thank Miss Kwon for the present yet?" He asks the boy who just nods, refusing to give a verbal reply. Taeoh isn't looking him in the eye either, so maybe, maybe his son is more upset than he wants to show.  
  
"Let's go," Jongin whispers and lets go of his son who rushes towards the wardrobe where he puts on coat and shoes. Jongin takes the backpack, asking if Taeoh wants to store away the plastic car, but Taeoh shakes his head again.  
  
"No," Taeoh whispers and clutches the toy in his hand, holding it possessively. It's a slightly strange behavior, but Jongin guesses that children don't like to hand over what is theirs in general, especially when they are told that whatever is theirs is forever theirs and no one else's. Jongin might have to work on Taeoh's attitude, worried that his son might grow up into a selfish person who is unwilling to share.  
  
  
  
  
  
On their way home, Jongin stops by a toy store. He still feels bad about forgetting children's day. It might not be Taeoh's birthday, but seeing as other children were pampered extra on this day, Jongin doesn't want his boy to feel sad about children's day being like any other ordinary day to him. Taeoh, too, is special, and as single father, Jongin wants to make sure that Taeoh knows how much he is loved.  
  
"Pick anything you like," Jongin says, holding Taeoh's hand in his, the toy car already stored in the backpack so no one would mistake them for stealing items from the shop.  
  
"Anything?" Taeoh asks. Jongin looks down to his son and nods, giving an encouraging smile. He expects Taeoh to either pull away and run towards the toy section that is most interesting to him or to pull at Jongin's hand to drag his father forward, but instead he is met with silence. Taeoh doesn't move, he looks dazed for a moment before the boy shakes his head.  
  
"I don't want anything," Taeoh says with one of the cutest smiles Jongin has ever seen. "Daddy, let's go home and play with my new car."  
  
Jongin tries not to feel disappointed at the rejection.  
  
"Are you sure? What about an actual car? One that you can sit in and drive?" Jongin asks. Taeoh wrinkles his nose, a sure sign that he is thinking deeply about this matter, before he nods.  
  
It wasn't Jongin's intention to buy such an expensive toy, but he ends up getting Taeoh a plastic car to sit in and pedal to get it moving. Taeoh's laughter on the way home is rewarding though, and Jongin smiles, too, feeling satisfied that he had beaten the kindergarten teacher's present, even if it meant spending half of this month’s salary that was meant to go on their savings account.  
  
  
  
  
  
On a Sunday with wonderful weather, perfect to spend outside, Jongin is sitting by his desk, working on reports. He is supposed to do a presentation the next week, and depending on his performance he might get a raise in salary. His work had been constantly good the past months, and his team leader has hinted at possible promotions. Jongin has a chance on that team leader position since their current team leader Junmyeon will transfer to a new branch in Hongkong to lead a bigger, less experienced team there.  
  
A promotion would mean more money for Jongin to spend on his son, not necessarily now, but in the future. Once Taeoh starts school, he wants to be able to provide Taeoh with supplementary classes if Taeoh needs them, or maybe finance music or sports classes, whichever his son is taking a liking to. Right now, drawing seems to be Taeoh's greatest passion, so he could enroll his boy into kids' painting classes. There are dozens of possible hobbies that Jongin is thinking about, and he would support Taeoh's interests as best as he could. Unfortunately, for all that, he would need to have enough money on his bank account.  
  
"Daddy, where is red?" Taeoh asks. Jongin gets up and walks over to Taeoh who is kneeling on the ground with sheets of paper and colorful crayons scattered everywhere. It takes a while, but together they locate the red crayon that rolled underneath the cupboard where Jongin stores his office supplies.  
  
"Thank you, daddy," Taeoh says and gives Jongin a smooch that reminds Jongin a lot of the pups his family raised when he was younger. That, too, could be an investment Jongin would make, just to keep his son happy. Surely, their love for animals are the same, so Taeoh would be exhilarated if they were to adopt a puppy.  
  
"So, what are you drawing?" Jongin asks as they crawl back to the center of the room where Taeoh had been sitting and drawing forms and symbols that Jongin can't really make out what they are supposed to be portraying. "What did you need the red color for?"  
  
"Secret," Taeoh says and squeaks, scrambling all the pictures together to hide. Jongin tries not to feel hurt about his son's secretive ways, but he knows better than to probe. Taeoh would tell him eventually, right?  
  
"Later," Taeoh says. "I show daddy later. It's a... present."  
  
"A surprise for me?" Jongin asks, just to make sure, and smiles when his son nods, eyes crinkling in a way that reminds him of neither Heejung or himself. Rather, it's similar to Sehun, but that would be weird, right? Why would Taeoh suddenly start to smile like his best friend?  
  
"Surprise for daddy," Taeoh confirms and uses a hand to push Jongin towards his desk. Jongin gets the message and gets up, promising Taeoh that he wouldn't look until Taeoh has finished and is ready to show him the results.  
  
  
  
  
  
A good hour later Taeoh is tugging at his shirt. Jongin turns around in his swivel chair, slowly, so he wouldn't accidentally crash his legs into his son.  
  
"Hello, my Picasso," Jongin says, laughing softly at Taeoh's confused expression.  
  
"Pikachu?" Taeoh asks, frowning, and Jongin shakes his head.  
  
"I said Picasso," Jongin explains. "Picasso is a very, very, very famous painter. So maybe, if I call you Picasso, you will turn into a very, very, very famous artist, too."  
  
"Really?" Taeoh asks, beaming like only a pure, innocent child could. It makes Jongin want to pull his son into a hug and coo at him, pinching those chubby cheeks, too, but he knows Taeoh wouldn't appreciate that.  
  
"Really," Jongin says and chuckles, when Taeoh announces he would become a pikachu, too. Jongin doesn't attempt to correct him, knowing that Taeoh would forget anyways.  
  
"So what did you draw for me, little Picasso?"  
  
Taeoh proudly shows him the drawings he has completed today. There is a picture of a car, the same toy car that Jongin has bought in fiery red color with a little boy sitting inside. The next picture showcases a house that Taeoh claims they will be living in one day, because Taeoh wants to buy a house with a garden to keep a dog, just like his friend Sungho does. Jongin keeps that in mind, but he doesn't think he will be able to buy a house with a garden anytime soon.  
  
"Oh, what about this one?" Jongin asks and points at the next picture presented to him. It shows three figures holding hands, two bigger ones and a small one in the middle. While Jongin is fairly certain that Taeoh has drawn himself with Jongin, he can't quite figure out who the other person could be.  
  
"Oh, daddy, do you like it?" Taeoh asks, and Jongin smiles, putting on a sports commentator voice to humor his child.  
  
"Oh yes, look at this picture," he says. "This is ten out of ten. The best picture I have seen in my entire career. The colors have been chosen so wisely, each stroke put down with care and thought. This must be a new genius, the reincarnation of Picasso drawing this!"  
  
Taeoh laughs, although he shakes his head, whining at the same time, complaining that he doesn't understand anything of what his dad has told him. Those words were too difficult to understand, but at long as Taeoh gets the gist, knowing that Jongin has been praising him, all is fine.  
  
"Yes or no, daddy?" Taeoh asks and Jongin pulls his son into a bear hug, giving the boy a big smooch on the cheek.  
  
"Of course, Taeoh. I love all your drawings. Especially this one," Jongin says. "Because this is you and me on the drawing, right?"  
  
Taeoh nods and points at the figure on the right side of the boy.  
  
"This is daddy," he whispers, finger moving onto the other figure. "And this is Uncle Hun."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Taeoh!"  
  
Taeoh turns around, eyes widening for a split second before he starts running towards Jongin with his usual wide grin. Jongin chuckles and squats down to his son's eyelevel, waiting with opened arms. His son laughs and jumps right in, hugging Jongin around the neck almost too tightly. It's a bit uncomfortable and Jongin has light difficulties to breathe, but endures it. Like any other father, he loves to see his child showing so much affection.  
  
"Hello, big boy," Jongin says and gets up, Taeoh secured in his arms. The boy laughs into Jongin's ear and turns his head, pressing a peck to Jongin's cheek.  
  
"Ew, daddy, it's itchy!" Taeoh complains, but giggles. Jongin chuckles, too, and carries his son over to the kindergarten teacher who is watching over all children playing in the playground in the backyard of the nursery school.  
  
"I'm taking Taeoh home now. Thanks for your hard work as always, Miss Kwon," Jongin says and smiles, knowing that the teachers always appreciate words of gratitude and encouragement. If taking care of one child is already exhausting, then he could only imagine how much worse it would be to take responsibility for ten children at the same time.  
  
"Okay, thanks for being on time," Mrs. Kwon replies, her attention wandering over to Taeoh who is smiling sweetly at her. She pats him on the back.  
  
"See you tomorrow, Taeoh," she says and laughs when Taeoh leans closer to peck her, almost falling off Jongin's arms if his father didn't try to balance him out and hold him tighter. Taeoh laughs shyly, too, and smacks his lips against the teacher's cheek to say goodbye.  
  
Jongin lets Taeoh down on his feet then so the boy could run forward and into the school's building to get his backpack. He follows his son close and sees Taeoh opening his bag to pull out a small bag of cookies. It makes Jongin frown.  
  
"Those are not from home, are they?" Jongin asks. Taeoh turns around to him and shakes his head, a tiny smile on his face. Jongin can't tell why his son is avoiding eye contact, almost, as if he had done a bad thing.  
  
"You didn't take them from our cupboard, did you?" Jongin probes further, but Taeoh shakes his head again.  
  
"Miss Kwon gave me those," Taeoh whispers, and the way he blinks up at Jongin, worry written across his face, makes Jongin start to suspect. Is Taeoh lying to him? This would be a first. What other reason could there be for his adorable son to act this way? It's too early for Taeoh to be in a rebellious phase.  
  
"Maybe I should talk to Miss Kwon," he finally says. "It's not healthy to have so many sweets. A teacher should know that."  
  
Taeoh makes some weird, high pitched noise that turns into soft whimpering at that, his whole body flung against Jongin's leg to cling there.  
  
"No, daddy, please no," Taeoh begs and looks up with wide eyes. According to Jongin's mother, it's the same kind of puppy eyes that Jongin has used on adults during his childhood as well. Like father, like son. And yet, despite knowing that it's a trick that Taeoh has picked up, Jongin can't help it. He coos at his son and promises to leave it be. How could he do differently but to relent? Only cruel and cold-hearted people are unfazed by big, wide puppy eyes, so Jongin settles for a compromise.  
  
"You have to remember to brush your teeth thoroughly when we’re at home, okay?" He asks.  
  
"Yes, daddy, promise," Taeoh says expression brightening up. He lets go of Jongin who wishes his boy would cling a little bit more. Like that it would feel less like Jongin had been manipulated by his four, soon turning five years old son.  
  
"Daddy, eat one, too!" Taeoh holds up a cookie and grins. He has opened the bag of oreos and is holding up one, even going as far as standing on his tiptoes to reach Jongin's height more easily. Not that it's possible, but Jongin finds it endearing and squats down to eat the offered treat.  
  
"Thanks, Taeoh," Jongin says and declines the offer of a second one. "You have the rest."  
  
  
  
  
  
It's Taeoh's birthday the next week, but Jongin is already fretting about a birthday party plan since this would be the first time for Taeoh to have friends over at home. Last year, Jongin didn't have the time to organize a party, so they just spent the afternoon at his parents who were entertaining the birthday boy while Jongin was working on infographs for his sales report.  
  
"What else do we need?" Jongin asks Sehun who has helped him out today. Sehun has a day off, so he volunteered to pick Taeoh up from kindergarten since Jongin had a business dinner that night. Currently, Taeoh is in bed, soft snoring sounds and the occasional whine audible from where they are seated in the living room, the door connecting to Taeoh’s open. They each have a mug of tea in their hand. It's June, but the nights are still cool, so a warm, fruity tea is the perfect drink, Sehun had insisted and prepared the drinks earlier with Jongin leaning against the kitchen counter and silently watching.  
  
"Jongin, I don't think you need to worry that much," Sehun says. There's an amused glint in his eyes that doesn't go unnoticed by Jongin who huffs. Sehun would never understand the mindset of a parent who wants his best for his only son. Sehun isn’t a father like Jongin is, who wants to make Taeoh feel special and loved. That is why his fifth birthday needs to be a memorable one.  
  
"It's not like you're not spoiling him enough as it is," Sehun adds on. "I mean, no one else spoils their kid to an extent that you do to Taeoh. You're lucky that he's a thoughtful and sweet child, otherwise he would have turned bratty by now."  
  
Sehun's not wrong, but Jongin does not want to admit defeat. It would mean agreeing to his lack of parenting skills and admitting that Sehun, a single man, knew more about raising a child than Jongin the single father does.  
  
"Still, I want to be prepared for everything, so we have to plan it out in detail. We got the minions themed decoration as well as food choice, which is fries and chicken nuggets which all kids love. There's going to be a birthday cake as well. And for entertainment the kids can play in Taeoh's room or watch some child-friendly cartoons."  
  
Jongin looks up from his phone screen where he has saved the list, and stares back at Sehun's eyes. It's unnerving to find Sehun gazing at him with what he deems a judgmental attitude.  
  
"What?" Jongin asks, slightly irritated.  
  
"Nothing," Sehun says and shakes his head. "I just think that you're worrying too much. What could possibly go wrong? Taeoh is only inviting three friends, right?"  
  
Jongin nods. Right. Maybe he is worried for no reason. It can't be too difficult to watch over four children in total when usually, it's two teachers responsible for ten to twenty kids. He can do that, especially with Sehun's help.  
  
Initially, he hadn't thought of inviting Sehun, but when he talked to Taeoh about his upcoming birthday on the weekend, Taeoh had asked for his godfather to come,  _because Uncle Hun is my friend, too_. Those words were paired with a pout and wide, expectant eyes, so Jongin had no choice but to invite his best friend, too.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sehun had been right. Jongin had been fussing over nothing. Four children are easy to supervise, especially ones with more calm and quiet personalities like Taeoh and his friends. The children are nothing but sweet as they talk and giggle during playtime, even though Jongin is a bit worried about his bed. They are currently using it as a trampoline while tackling Sehun at the same time, pillows and stuffed toys flying everywhere. Jongin is just relieved that he doesn't have any electronics or expensive decorations around that could be broken, and luckily, there’s nothing dangerous that could possible hurt the children either.  
  
While Sehun handles the kids, Jongin has time to take care of dinner. They had cake two hours ago, a colorful rainbow cake that Taeoh insisted on having after he had seen one on TV. Jongin is lucky that his sister has a pastry chef as friend who he could ask for that favor, and seeing the big smile and the wide, astonished eyes of all four children, Jongin feels content.  
  
"How much longer, Jongin?" Sehun yells, breathy voice all mixed with laughter. Sehun is probably having a tough time since he is ticklish. The kids must have found his weakness pretty soon as more laughter spills over, Sehun's obnoxious one, as well as the kids' high pitched sounds. Jongin smiles. It's nice to have his apartment filled with so much  _life_. He doesn't mind Taeoh inviting his friends over more frequently.  
  
"Jongin, please," Sehun yells again, making Jongin chuckle by the stove.  
  
"Almost done!" He yells back, but almost done is another fifteen minutes in which Sehun must have struggled a lot. His face is red, glistening with a sheen layer of sweat and there are unshed tears in the corner of his eyes, too.  
  
"You play with the kids later," Sehun says and runs a hand through his messy hair. It should be illegal to look so effortlessly good, Jongin thinks and looks away, focusing on quietening down four overexcited children who are creating a mess of ketchup and mayonnaise swirls on the dinner table.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Here's your present," Sehun says and hands over a huge, but rather flat box to the birthday boy after all other guests have left. Taeoh makes some cute, incoherent sound and runs over to take the box, only to pout because of how heavy it is. Nonetheless, he opens it with childish curiosity. Jongin watches quietly from his seat on the couch, wondering if Taeoh will like Sehun's present more than his or not.  
  
Inside, there is a blackboard with a box of crayons. Sehun sets it up quickly, putting the blackboard up onto its frame.  
  
"Now you can draw and practice writing at home," Sehun says and smiles. "You'll start elementary school soon, right?"  
  
Taeoh nods and hugs Sehun's legs, and Jongin is again left in awe at the fact that Sehun is putting a lot of thoughts into these kinds of things whereas other people would just buy some sort of toy for their friend's child, just because that would be a present that children would never reject.  
  
"Taeoh, what do we say when someone gives us a present?" Jongin says, reminding his son that he still hasn't expressed his gratitude yet.  
  
"Thank you, uncle Hun."  
  
"You're welcome," Sehun says and picks Taeoh up for a nice hug, laughing when Taeoh starts to pepper his face with kisses. Jongin watches them both with a fond smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
That same night, Jongin allows Taeoh to sleep in his bed. Taeoh had been adamant, arguing that it was his birthday so he wanted to sleep over with his daddy again instead of feeling all lonely in his small bedroom, so Jongin caved in.  
  
"Daddy?" Taeoh whispers, and Jongin is surprised that his son is not asleep yet, although he had been quiet for the past few minutes. Usually, rubbing Taeoh's back is enough to help him fall asleep in the shortest amount of time.  
  
"What is it, sweetheart?" Jongin whispers back.  
  
"Where is mommy?" Taeoh asks, his voice quietens down even more, as if it was a taboo to talk about. It's not, and Jongin feels sorry for his son to think that he can't speak openly about matters like these. Maybe it had been wrong for Jongin to assume that Taeoh would be okay to not talk about their family's situation since that's how they have been living together for a long time. Maybe he should have explained it earlier, but then again, Taeoh is only five years old, and Jongin doesn't think there is a nice way to say that Taeoh's mother chose to leave him, and that if it weren't for Jongin asking her not to abort, his son might not even exist in this world. If possible, Jongin doesn't ever want Taeoh to know that his own biological mother had never loved him.  
  
"Do you miss your mom?" Jongin asks back as he doesn't feel like replying. He isn't too sure what Heejung is up to either. The last time he had opened instagram a few weeks ago, she had posted pictures from a beach vacation somewhere in Thailand.  
  
"Taeoh has a mommy?" Taeoh asks, sounding so surprised about that fact. Jongin feels his heart squeeze painfully at that. He wishes that Taeoh never feels like needing a mother. Because he doesn't. Jongin alone makes up for a mother who doesn't care, right?  
  
"Of course you do," Jongin replies. "Every child has a mommy. But sometimes, a mom and a dad can't be together, so that's why you're here, with me. Would you rather be with your mom instead?"  
  
It's a question he doesn't actually want to speak out loud, for fear of the reply, but at the same time he knows that there is only one way Taeoh would reply to the question – he doesn’t know his mother after all – and yet he feels horrible for asking. A child shouldn’t have to choose. A child has the right to have a perfectly intact family.  
  
"No. Taeoh wants to be with daddy," Taeoh whispers, and Jongin pretends he doesn't notice his son curling into him and shaking, Jongin's shirt turning damp where Taeoh's face is pressed into the fabric.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm sorry, Mr. Kim, but it seems like Taeoh disappeared_.  
  
The usual ten minute walk over to the kindergarten only took Jongin five minutes this time. He is in full panic mode, feeling sick to the bone, knowing that Taeoh might be all on his own and helpless somewhere, but he is furious as well. His son is the only reason why he is doing his best at work, otherwise he would have changed the company and gone for a less stable but more interesting job, one that pays better. This company, he had only chosen for their family-friendly policies that allows him to spend time with his son more than any other workplace would.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know where he is?" Jongin asks the kindergarten teacher who seems just as distressed as he is. He feels bad for raising his voice at her, but he can't help it. It's about his son, the most important person in his life, and just like every other working adult, he expects the people he entrusts his child to do their job properly.  
  
"How can you not know where he is?" Jongin continues, pacing around the room. "It's your job to watch over all kids here. How is it possible for them to disappear? Did you really look for him everywhere?"  
  
"Yes," Ms. Kwon says, her face pale. She must be just as scared and worried as Jongin is. It's a teacher's greatest nightmare to have a child disappear without a trace. Especially since she has just seen all the children peacefully taking a nap.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left the room," the female says, her voice trembling. "I will call the police for help."  
  
Jongin nods, knowing that that is the smartest thing to do now, although he wishes they didn't have to. It just makes this case seem more severe, more serious. As if Taeoh had been kidnapped. But for what reason? Jongin doesn’t make that much money. He doesn’t think that he would make a good target.  
  
"I'll go look around for Taeoh," Jongin says, unable to stay at the kindergarten for much longer. He can't sit idly while his son might be in danger. "Please call me right away when you find some clues."  
  
Ms. Kwon nods and stays back in the office, and for the first time Jongin wonders if choosing this company and sending Taeoh to kindergarten had been a good idea. He could have tried to find some home office job instead to ensure a safe environment for his son 24/7. Taeoh wouldn't have escaped either.  
  
_Maybe it's to look after his mom_.  
  
The thought comes suddenly, but Jongin is sure that this is the case. Taeoh might not be talking about it, but the boy has probably been thinking about it ever since his birthday night, when he asked Jongin about his mother for the first time. Jongin closes his eyes for a second, feeling a lump in his throat. It's bitter to find out that maybe Taeoh was not okay with this. Maybe, Jongin had never been enough. Maybe, Taeoh needs a second parent.  
  
When Jongin opens his eyes, his sight is blurry. It's hard to look around for Taeoh when his eyes are teary, but Jongin continues walking, searching through the area around the kindergarten. If Taeoh went on his own, he couldn't have gone too far, unless some stranger picked him up. He remembers horror stories of human trafficking that are truer than one would like to admit, even though they are living in a modern society upholding values of liberty and equality.  
  
His phone rings, but Jongin ignores it. He has been ignoring phone calls for a while, his mind only focusing on the matter at hand, that is finding his child.  
  
But as the phone continues buzzing with incoming messages and ringing with more incoming calls, Jongin feels annoyed. He takes out his phone to turn it off, but the screen shows that Sehun is calling, so he decides to receive this call. If there is someone who can help him to keep his sanity, it would be his best friend.  
  
"Sehun," he whispers, his throat dry. He can feel the tears starting to roll over his cheeks as he speaks out what he fears the most. "I think... I lost Taeoh."  
  
"Taeoh is here, with me," Sehun says and for a moment, Jongin doesn't know what to think. His mind is a blank, the words taking a while to sink in, but when they do, he starts screaming into the phone.  
  
"What the hell?!? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Do you know how worried we are? How could you-"  
  
His phone is beeping then; Sehun just ended the call, sending a few text messages instead.  
  
_I'll bring Taeoh to the kindergarten._  
_You better calm down by then._  
_Don't scream at me or Taeoh. He doesn't need that._  
  
  
  
  
  
"Taeoh!" Jongin says, relieved when his son is running up to him while Sehun is approaching them slowly.  
  
"Where did you go?" Jongin asks, squatting down and welcoming Taeoh in his arms. He hugs the child tightly and presses a peck to the boy's temple, feeling like he might start crying again soon.  
  
"I was looking for mommy," Taeoh whispers quietly. "Is daddy mad?"  
  
Jongin hums softly, not trusting his voice right now. There's that same lump in the back of his throat, making it hard to speak.  
  
"Don't do that ever again, okay?" Ms. Kwon says, who is joining father and son. She has just finished talking to the officers who had come over to investigate, apologizing for calling them when the child had not gone too far and was found quickly by an acquaintance of the family.  
  
"Next time, remember to tell me or one of the other teachers when you're going, okay?" Ms. Kwon says, her voice gentle, but strict. Taeoh nods, not replying verbally, but Jongin has the feeling that Taeoh has understood, that he is feeling remorse for what he did. Sehun must have talked to him, too.  
  
"Thank you for finding Taeoh and bringing him here," the teacher goes on to chat with Sehun. "You are...?"  
  
"Oh Sehun, I'm Taeoh's godfather. His father's best friend," Sehun introduces himself. "I found him strolling around outside on the streets. Knowing that he is supposed to be in kindergarten, I took him with me to the ice parlor first to find out why he was on his own before calling Jongin. I'm sorry, I should have notified you right away."  
  
"It's fine," Jongin pipes in then, still hugging Taeoh to his chest. He won't let go anytime soon. "At least you brought him back and kept him safe."  
  
"You're welcome," Sehun says quietly, and Jongin can feel inquiring eyes on him, but doesn't look up to meet them. He closes his eyes instead and rocks his son from side to side, letting the feeling of relief continuously wash through him.  
  
  
  
  
  
"What did Taeoh tell you?" Jongin asks Sehun later when they're on the phone. He had insisted on Sehun having dinner with them, but Sehun refused. Apparently, he had a blind date, set up by his mother, so they could only talk now when Taeoh has been fed dinner and washed. Taeoh is sleeping soundly in his bed with Jongin standing by the door and watching his child while whispering into the phone.  
  
"Not much," Sehun says quietly. "He just felt sad because he doesn't have a mother like all of his friends do. He was trying to find Heejung, but the poor boy had no clue how to look for her. Not that he would be successful, even if he knew where to find her and who she actually is."  
  
Jongin bites on his lip. "Okay, thank you. That's all I wanted to know."  
  
That's a lie. Jongin is dying to know a few other things, too, but he doubts Sehun knows the answer. Sehun doesn't have a child so how would he know how to raise them? Sehun wouldn't know the answer to the question if Jongin alone is enough for Taeoh either, although he has the feeling that Sehun would say yes, simply to support him, and not because he agrees.  
  
  
  
  
  
After that incident, life just goes on. Jongin pays special attention to Taeoh's needs now, always making sure that even on days he feels too exhausted he still talks to his son. He asks about everything, wanting his child to open up completely, although he tries to be subtle about it and not make Taeoh feel like he is being interrogated. Children are much smarter than they are given credit for, and Taeoh belongs to the group of kids that are more mature than other children their age, so he is more prone to picking up subtle undertones.  
  
They are back into a daily routine that is no different from before, except for the additional father and son talk right before they go to bed. He still reads Taeoh good night stories after that, smiling when his son falls asleep quickly to his voice. Jongin doesn't want this to change. His moments with Taeoh are precious and energizing, and if he were to bring home a woman and marry her, she would demand more of his attention and take away from that time, and Jongin doesn't want that.  
  
Their routine is about to be broken though. Jongin learns of a business trip to Japan he must do. There is one co-worker who has offered to go in Jongin's place, seeing the troubled expression on Jongin's face, but Jongin knew what this business trip meant. If he was the representive for their company and did well, he wouldn't have to compete anymore - his promotion would be secured. Thinking of the raise of wage that comes along with the promotion, Jongin has promptly agreed, only to struggle with deciding what to do about Taeoh now.  
  
There are only two options left for Jongin, either to take Taeoh with him or leave him at home with a babysitter. He would have asked his parents, but luck has it that they are going on vacation during that time themselves, so Jongin doesn't have anyone he can rely on. His sister, too, is busy, so he doesn't want to trouble her, but a babysitter doesn't seem safe for him as well. After the fiasco at the kindergarten, Jongin has trust issues with people he pays to watch over Taeoh. They don't love his son as much as Jongin does, so they wouldn't properly take care of Taeoh like a parent would.  
  
But as much as Jongin wants to bring Taeoh to the business trip, he knows it's impossible, too. Taeoh needs to go to kindergarten and continue learning how to socialize with his peers, and apart from that, Jongin's schedules in Japan are filled with one business meeting after the other. He can't take Taeoh with him to those, and locking his son up in a hotel room is a worse choice than entrusting his son to someone.  
  
"I could watch over Taeoh for you," Sehun says casually during dinner. Lately, Sehun has been coming over frequently on Taeoh's request. Jongin doesn't mind, since they are best friends, and knowing that Sehun is living alone, he knows it's nicer for Sehun to spend his dinners with other people instead of cooking for himself or getting some takeout.  
  
"I don't know," Jongin says and sighs softly, though he trusts Sehun more than a stranger he has never met before.  
  
"Uncle Hun," Taeoh says and grins. "No babysitter. Can I have uncle Hun?"  
  
Jongin looks at his son with wary eyes before turning his gaze towards Sehun, eyeing the other for a while.  
  
"Are you sure you can do this?" Jongin asks. "There's a lot you have to do. It's not easy, and you won't have time for dates or clubbing nights."  
  
"It's fine," Sehun is quick to reassure. "I'm not interested in that anyways. And having Taeoh means my mom can't put me up for blind dates for a while. Which is really good. I'd rather play with Taeoh than having awkward first meetings with strangers."  
  
Jongin nods, but he is not too convinced. He knows that Sehun is good with kids, but he doesn't think Sehun can handle getting up early every day to prepare lunchboxes and remembering to pick Taeoh up every day after work. He doubts that Sehun can prepare proper food either. In those few days of Jongin's absence, he knows that Taeoh will most likely be spoiled with takeout or dinner at the family restaurant.  
  
"I'll write you a list with what to do," Jongin sighs.  
  
  
  
  
  
Taeoh is a lot more enthusiastic about it than Jongin. He doesn't seem too sad when they are at the airport on Sunday evening to say goodbye to Jongin. It makes the single father frown.  
  
Sehun has picked Taeoh up, carrying him in his arms while Jongin is handling his suitcase. It's just a small one since he is not going to stay away long, but he does need to pack two sets of suits, just in case he gets stains on the one he is wearing for whatever reason.  
  
"Will you miss daddy?" Jongin asks, turning around. He lets go of his trolley for a minute to pick up Taeoh and hold his son close to his chest.  
  
"Of course, daddy," Taeoh says and smiles, too cheerful for Jongin's taste. He is appeased by the multitudes of kisses planted all over his face though and puts Taeoh down on his two feet. His son attaches himself to his leg, hugging his thigh. For a second, Jongin contemplates on ditching the business trip and staying at home, but he knows that he must be a reasonable adult to guarantee Taeoh a wonderful childhood.  
  
"Remember to call me frequently," Jongin says, now looking at Sehun who nods. His best friend doesn't say a word, but his expression tells it all. Sehun is amused, and if he wasn't biting down on his lip, he would probably be laughing at Jongin's difficulties with separating from his son for more than 24 hours. This would be the first time, and Jongin already hates it.  
  
  
  
  
  
When Jongin is not occupied with work he spends his free time in Tokyo texting or skyping Sehun to make sure that Taeoh is doing okay. It usually ends up with Jongin feeling disappointed because Taeoh is either fast asleep, a peaceful smile on his face, or Taeoh is beaming at him. There are no signs of Taeoh having troubles without Jongin around, and Jongin feels sad about that. He raised Taeoh on his own, so shouldn't his son be more attached?  
  
"You're the only parent in this world who is upset about their child not crying," Sehun tells him and chuckles. "I'm afraid you'll be one of those overly clingy parents who will not allow their kids to move to a different city for work later. You probably wouldn't let Taeoh go study abroad for a semester, too. You won’t let your son move to a place further away, not even for his career or happiness."  
  
"Of course not," Jongin huffs, feeling heat creeping onto his cheeks. "If it helps Taeoh's future, I will support him."  
  
Jongin recognizes Sehun's expression despite the blurriness of the picture on screen as an amused one and scoffs. Sehun knows him well and isn't too far off the truth, but Jongin has his pride. He doesn't want to be stacked together with those overly protective parents that might become an obstacle to their children's career. He doesn't want to think that he could be like that, because he only wants all the best for Taeoh.  
  
"Uh-huh," Sehun snickers. "Whatever helps you sleep better at night."  
  
Jongin glares.  
  
"I hate you, Oh Sehun."  
  
"I know. I love you, too."  
  
It's hard to describe his feelings after hearing those words. For the first time, Jongin wonders how it would be like if they weren't just two bickering best friends. What if they were flirting for real? What if there was someone like Sehun in his life, next to him, supportive and helping out whenever they can? Maybe it's time to find a partner, Jongin thinks, but when the thought of Taeoh comes up, he starts worrying. It's not going to be easy to find someone who would both like Jongin and accept Taeoh, and it would be even harder to have Taeoh liking that person, too. He faintly thinks of the female colleague who he had almost asked out if it weren't for Taeoh not liking her upon first meeting.  
  
"Hey, Jongin, it's late, so I'll end this call, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Jongin mumbles. Sehun just smiles, not showing any reaction to Jongin suddenly turning quiet. He just waves at the camera and then the screen turns black.  
  
  
  
  
  
It's almost midnight when Jongin lands in Incheon. He has told Sehun not to come and pick him up from the airport at such an hour, knowing that it is not good for Taeoh to stay up, even though it is a Saturday night. Nonetheless, he feels disappointed not to see Sehun and his son right there to greet him. After all, Sehun could have gone against his words and taken Taeoh here for his baby to welcome him. After not seeing each other for almost a week, surely, Taeoh must be dying to see his father again, right?  
  
But then again, it's probably for the best. Taeoh is still a child and needs a regular sleeping pattern to ensure his health, and he can't expect his best friend to pick him up from the airport when Sehun is supposed to look after Taeoh. Even when Taeoh is sleeping, Jongin is too worried to leave his son alone in a house, be it for ten minutes or two hours. Taeoh is still too young. He would cry if he woke up and didn't find anyone he knows around.  
  
Taking the subway would be the cheapest option, but there's not much time left until the last train runs and Jongin is exhausted anyways, choosing the earliest flight to go instead of spending another night in Tokyo and returning home the next morning, so he grabs a taxi. He dozes off on the ride home, only woken by the kind taxi driver who he pays in cash, leaving a generous tip.  
  
At home, he is greeted by silence, but there's a dim light coming from the living room. Jongin puts down his suitcase and takes off shoes and coat, wondering if he should announce his return. Taeoh is probably sleeping though, so he doesn't and opts for quietly sneaking into the living room.  
  
Standing in the doorframe, he can see Sehun asleep on the couch, still dressed in T-shirt and jeans. It's obvious that Sehun must have wanted to wait for Jongin and then go home, not wanting to stay over although there is enough space for him, if not on the same bed, then on the couch. Taeoh is there, too, already wearing pajamas, small body cuddled into Sehun's torso. Sehun is sitting there, with Taeoh on his lap, arms holding the boy securely. They both must have tried to stay up for Jongin, but they fell asleep before Jongin arrived.  
  
"Cute," Jongin mumbles to himself as he takes a picture, surprised by his own action. Sehun wakes up at the noise of the shutter, tired eyes blinking at him in confusion, and Jongin tries not to feel affected.  
  
"You're home," Sehun mumbles, lips stretching into a smile. Jongin just nods quietly and puts a finger to his lips, telling Sehun to be quiet.  
  
"Carry Taeoh to bed for me?" Jongin asks quietly and Sehun does. He gets up, the child still in his arms, and Jongin is astonished to realize once again that his son is sleeping like a stone. He doesn't wake easily, which is a good thing in situations like these.  
  
Jongin follows Sehun to the bedroom and watches as Taeoh is being put down on the bed gently and tucked into the blankets. Sehun gives Taeoh a peck to his forehead, like Jongin has instructed him to, and this feels almost too intimate, like a family scene that he is not part of, although Taeoh is his son and not Sehun's.  
  
"Get ready for bed, too," Jongin tells Sehun quietly and pats his best friend's back, not in the mood for teasing the other. Sehun looks sleepy and vulnerable, almost as innocent and child-like as Taeoh. "You can sleep on my bed."  
  
"But-" Sehun protests, a hand rubbing at his eye. Jongin almost coos, but catches himself before he can make a sound.  
  
"No buts," Jongin says and wags his index finger in front of the other. "You need some sleep, Mr. Oh, and I won't let you go home at one in the morning like this."  
  
Sehun simply nods and lets Jongin drag him to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jongin is up early the next morning. It's far too early for someone who only went to bed at two after a tiring week of work, but he wakes up, following his biological clock. It's because of his son that he has started to wake up at exactly six in the mornings to prepare breakfast and lunchboxes, although the latter are not necessary on a Sunday morning. That leaves more time to prepare a more lavish breakfast though, especially since he has a guest.  
  
He is surprised to find the fridge well filled, not lacking any of the basic ingredients he needs for a full, proper meal, so Jongin wastes no time to cook some rice and start making some stew, two things he cannot go without in the mornings. It's traditional and takes more time than just making sandwiches, but he believes in breakfast as the central and most important meal of the day.  
  
As he makes the egg rolls, Taeoh is trotting inside the kitchen, eyes half closed. He knows Taeoh is just following his nose and chuckles when Taeoh runs into his legs and clings to him.  
  
"Good morning, Taeoh," Jongin says. "Go to my bedroom and wake Sehun for me, okay?"  
  
Taeoh tilts his head up and Jongin bites his lip to suppress another amused chuckle. His son looks more confused than usual, his nose wrinkled as if having to think was a displeasure. Although children should be more energetic right away when they wake up, Taeoh had never been like that. In that aspect, he resembles Jongin. Taeoh needs a few minutes to wake up fully, too.  
  
"Sehun is here?" Taeoh asks, his expression changing into a more cheerful one after Jongin's nod of confirmation.  
  
"I'll wake him," Taeoh says and saunters off, leaving Jongin to focus back on the eggs sizzling in the pan, the color a shade too dark. Jongin sighs and throws it away, knowing that burnt food is not healthy, so rather than saving money and food, it's better to make new egg rolls.  
  
Ten minutes later, Jongin is setting the table and arranging the food on there. There is a pot of kimchi stew in the middle of the table, next to egg rolls that are cut small to fit perfectly into Taeoh's mouth. Everyone has a small bowl of rice, too, and of course, there is some kimchi as side dish.  
  
Jongin is satisfied when he looks at the table, so all that's left now is for Sehun and Taeoh to assemble and start eating with him.  
  
"Looks nice," Sehun says and Jongin startles when there's an arm wrapped around his shoulder. Sehun is too close for comfort, and Jongin tries his best not to let it show. It would only end up in him getting teased by a smug looking best friend.  
  
"You better be grateful I made some breakfast for you, too," Jongin says and pulls away. He sits down at the table and frowns when Taeoh slips onto the chair next to Sehun. Why is Taeoh preferring Sehun over his own father lately? Sehun didn't brainwash him, did he?  
  
"I  _am_  grateful," Sehun says and smiles, fully distracting Jongin when he reaches out with his hands to take a piece of egg roll. Jongin is quicker though. He has his chopsticks in his hand and slaps Sehun's fingers away.  
  
"No eating with your hands," Jongin hisses. "Show some table manners."  
  
"Sorry," Sehun says, grinning sheepishly as he rubs his fingers, and Jongin feels just slightly bad. It must have hurt. Taeoh next to Jongin seems surprised at the sudden action, eyes blinking at his father.  
  
"Daddy, that was not nice," Taeoh says, lower lip jutted out into the cutest pout. He tries to think of something to say, but Sehun is quicker, as always.  
  
"It was my fault anyways," Sehun cuts in and smiles. "Bad table manners are no good, so your daddy is right. Be a good boy and use your chopsticks and spoon, okay?"  
  
Taeoh nods and smiles at Sehun, and for some reason Jongin feels like he is the too strict mother in a three-member family, while Sehun is the cool dad, and this is definitely not how it’s supposed to be. Jongin should be the cool dad instead.  
  
"Let's eat now," Sehun prompts and picks up a piece of egg roll, this time using his chopsticks.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sehun goes home shortly after breakfast. Taeoh looks a bit disappointed, seeing the other leave, but once the door is closed, the boy focuses on Jongin, clinging and not letting go of his father.  
  
Jongin feels relieved to see his son as cheerful as usual, and he is happy to be the confidant. Taeoh tells him about the past few days in detail, recounting the things that happened in kindergarten, but also the things that he had done with Sehun. Apparently, Sehun had taken Taeoh to the park on one day, the other they were in the shopping mall to stroll around. They had ice cream that day and Sehun had bought a small present for Taeoh.  
  
"Did you ask for the present?" Jongin inquires, fearing that Taeoh might have behaved like a brat, demanding Sehun to buy him things.  
  
"No, Uncle Hun bought it because it looks like daddy," Taeoh says. He slips off Jongin's lap and runs over to his bedroom, Jongin following close to make sure Taeoh isn't tumbling over his own feet in his haste.  
  
"Look daddy, it has your eyes and mouth!" Taeoh is holding up a plush toy with an incredibly weird face - lips purposely made full and eyes looking tired. Jongin wonders if he really looks that ugly in real life for Sehun and Taeoh to see similarities between him and that thing, but he smiles nonetheless, squatting down to Taeoh's eyelevel to inspect the toy from close up.  
  
"Uncle Hun bought it so I won't feel lonely without daddy," the boy explains. "Because I can hug Nini when I sleep."  
  
Jongin is touched by those words and quickly pulls Taeoh into a hug, one hand splayed across Taeoh's back to lightly rub it.  
  
"Daddy will try not to make you feel lonely ever again," Jongin promises, but Taeoh pulls away quickly to beam at him. Taeoh shakes his head.  
  
"No, it's okay. Daddy can go work and Uncle Hun will play with me. Uncle Hun can live with us!" The boy says, his eyes wide open like all the other times he tries asking for something. Jongin realizes belatedly that maybe Taeoh is suggesting for Sehun to permanently stay with them, but that is nothing Jongin could decide. He would have to ask Sehun but that would be a strange thing, considering they do not need to save money by rooming together like back in their first year at university, and they are not lovers either.  
  
"We can't live together like that," Jongin says and sighs softly, hoping that his explanation would be enough to deter Taeoh from begging and pleading. "We're not a family. He's not your daddy."  
  
"But daddy can marry Uncle Hun, and then uncle Hun can be my daddy, too," Taeoh says, and at that Jongin doesn't know what to say. He is speechless by how simple-minded children could be, but at the same time he is also dreading to explain that Sehun and Jongin could never work out as a couple. They are best friends, not lovers, and one does not marry a best friend, but a lover. Only lucky people can marry someone they love who is also their best friend, and Jongin is never going to be one of them.  
  
"What about a mommy?" Jongin asks quietly, trying to find a way to rule out that possibility.  
  
"If there is daddy Hun, then Taeoh doesn't need a mommy," Taeoh says, smiling as if it was a natural thing to say.  
  
"Daddy, please marry uncle Hun," Taeoh pleads, voice quiet as if he understood how conflicted Jongin is feeling. "Please?"  
  
"I'll ask him," Jongin just mumbles, but he isn't planning on doing so. He can pretend he asked and tell Taeoh later that Sehun rejected him.  
  
  
  
  
  
Taeoh's words have a greater impact on him than he had expected. Jongin feels unsettled about it, especially when he sees his best friend interacting with his son. He wonders what Sehun is doing to make Taeoh feel so attached. But it's not only Taeoh. Jongin feels happy, too, whenever Sehun is around, more so when he helps Jongin by watching over Taeoh while Jongin is busy. In Sehun, Jongin has found the perfect babysitter, but he also wonders how life would be like with Sehun living with them and not just coming over every time he is called.  
  
There is no denial that Jongin does have some sort of budding feelings for his best friend. He can't help but like Sehun more and more. Being a single father, Taeoh has always been his first priority, so seeing someone who loves and adores Taeoh just as much as he does puts them into Jongin's good books.  
  
But it's not only Taeoh that Sehun keeps fussing about. Jongin isn't too sure when it has begun, but Sehun is paying special attention to him as well. Sehun would often text him and ask about things that look banal on first glance but are important to a healthy lifestyle. He would inquire if Jongin had eaten yet, when he planned to go to bed, when he would take a day off to relax. Sehun has done that for a long time, but it’s only now that Jongin questions what Sehun’s motives are. Best friends don’t go this far, do they?  
  
Sehun seems to know him too well. Jongin would often work at home, late at night, after bringing Taeoh to sleep, and without Sehun texting him at midnight, he would probably pull an allnighter. Sometimes he does nonetheless, when a deadline is near, but usually, he would listen to Sehun and go to rest early. After all, he had to get up early as well to make sure that his son would have both breakfast and a lunchbox to bring to school.  
  
And when Sehun suggested Jongin to take a day off and let Taeoh stay with a babysitter to go out one night, Jongin takes the invitation. He needs a day for himself, to have fun with his friends, so he asks his parents to watch over Taeoh. They gladly agree to have their grandchild over for a weekend, promising to bring Taeoh back on Sunday morning, so Jongin didn't have to worry about picking his son up the next day.  
  
  
  
  
  
"We haven’t gone out like this in so long," Jongin says, a goofy grin stretched across his face. It's only Sehun and him because Baekhyun and Chanyeol ditched them, one of them using a close deadline as excuse, while the other had to visit his grandparents in the countryside. It's not bad though, Jongin thinks, although Taeoh's words are stuck in his head, now that he is being left alone with Sehun who is sitting right across from him.  
  
_Please marry uncle Hun._  
  
No, Jongin can't do that. It's not like he could offer Sehun anything. And didn't Sehun mention something about blind dates and Mrs. Oh wanting him to get a girlfriend and marry soon? Sehun surely would prefer making his own family with a partner, rather than get a partner with a child in tow, not to mention that Sehun's family was rather traditional, too. It would be inacceptable to Mr. and Mrs. Oh to see their son marrying a single parent, not to mention a single  _father_.  
  
"Jongin, what's bothering you?"  
  
Jongin looks up and sees a concerned expression. Sehun looks genuinely worried, and as much as Jongin's mind is conjuring up fairy tales of Sehun possibly liking him more than a friend and therefore being more concerned than anyone else, he knows very well that this is all just friendship. They aren't best buddies and sworn brothers for no reason.  
  
"Nothing," Jongin says and forces himself to smile. "I'm just still exhausted from work."  
  
Sehun nods and returns the smile, but Jongin can tell he is not too convinced.  
  
"Let's eat," Jongin says and gestures to the food. Sehun nods, lips pressed together for a second before he picks up a piece of chicken.  
  
They are going for everyone's favorite beer and chicken tonight. It reminds Jongin of university days, his first year at least. After that, everything had been more difficult to handle once he knew he got a girl pregnant. Does he regret his choices? No. Even if his youth was cut short, even if his university days weren't as wild and free as his peers', he would never exchange a different, more exciting life with this life with Taeoh. Isn't raising a child an even bigger adventure than anything that could happen in your life? Not to mention the happiness that a child brings. To Jongin, his son is worth more than a fortune.  
  
An hour and a good amount of beer later, Jongin finds himself sitting in a bar next to Sehun. He is grateful that the other hasn't suggested to go clubbing like Baekhyun had initially wanted to, insisting that it was about time for Jongin to find someone to be the mother of his child. Clubbing has never been Jongin's thing, not five years ago and not now. He is not into hookups, rather, he wants to find something stable. His first and only one-night stand had resulted in a life changing event and Jongin is not keen on letting that happen twice.  
  
Sitting next to Sehun by the bar was far more comfortable. They could slowly empty their glasses - Jongin continues with beer while Sehun has switched over to cocktails - and talk, and once either of them felt tired, they could just get up and go home.  
  
Except, they aren't going home so soon. Jongin loosens up with every sip of his drink. After abstaining from alcohol for so long his tolerance must have worsened a lot. He feels a bit light-headed, but it's not too bad. Sehun's shoulder is there for him to lean on.  
  
"You know," Jongin starts then. He doesn't know if Sehun can hear him over all the noise around them, nor does he know if he is pronouncing the words properly. His tongue feels heavy, his words possibly slurred. "Taeoh said we should get married."  
  
Jongin laughs because it's a ridiculous thought, but also because he feels lighter now. He just needs Sehun to laugh with him and tell him how hilarious that would be. Sehun doesn't laugh though. His body is not shaking and doubling over as he would do when he laughs, nor is he slapping his thigh. Is Sehun not amused?  
  
"Actually, Jongin," Sehun says, body straightening up. Jongin almost falls off his stool when Sehun turns around abruptly. He has to support himself by leaning onto the counter instead.  
  
_I don't think it's funny_ , is what Sehun's face is saying, but Jongin isn't too sure. He sees Sehun’s silhouette doubling in front of him, and the music and chatter around them is too loud for him focus. He can only try to guess what Sehun is saying by reading the words from his lips, but even that is hard. Jongin can’t fixate his mind on what is important now, instead thoughts of  _pretty, kissable lips_  float his mind.  
  
Sehun seems to realize that they aren’t in a location that is suitable for conversation, too, and pulls him up, dragging Jongin outside where the cool air makes him sober up enough for his mind to clear a bit.  
  
"Jongin," Sehun says, hands on Jongin's shoulders, probably to stabilize Jongin's standing. "I think it's about time for you to find someone. You've been living alone for so long and that might be okay for you, but Taeoh... he needs a second parent. He wants one, like everyone else. You shouldn't laugh about that."  
  
And while Jongin understands what Sehun is saying, Jongin is still laughing, because it's all ridiculous. Why would Taeoh ask for Sehun as a second parent when there was no romantic link between Sehun and him? Sehun is in their life and would forever be in theirs, acting as Sehun's best friend and Taeoh's godfather.  
  
"Why would I need to marry you?" Jongin says, still laughing. "You'll always be with us, right?"  
  
"Who knows," Sehun says quietly. "I'd love to stay with you and Taeoh forever, but I can't be like this. Eventually, I will have to find myself a partner and have my own family. And who knows, I might move to a different city or country then."  
  
It's quiet between them after that. Jongin just stares at Sehun, not wanting to believe that he would have to go without Sehun at some point. Who else would support him like Sehun does? Who else could handle Taeoh as well as Sehun does? Having Sehun leave is out of question.  
  
"No," Jongin says and shakes his head. "No."  
  
Sehun just smiles sadly.  
  
“Then, would you make me part of  _your_  family? If you do, I would glad to take care of both you and Taeoh. I love Taeoh and I love you, too.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Jongin almost forgot how bad a hangover could be, but now that he is feeling the headache, he wishes that he had never drunk that much the last night. He can barely remember what happened, except for the excessive drinking that must have led to the massive pounding in his head. He hates it and makes a mental note to never touch an alcoholic beverage again.  
  
The first thing Jongin notices when he blinks his eyes open, is how blinding the morning light can be. He must be especially sensitive to it now, after drinking one glass of beer after the other, but as he squints, he sees a familiar drawing hanging on the opposite wall, one of Taeoh's recent watercolor paintings. It makes him smile and immediately feel better, knowing that he has made it home safely and didn't end up in a stranger's bed. Who knows if he didn't end up in a club after drinking with Sehun. Speaking of Sehun, when he flops back down on the bed and turns his head to a side, he sees Sehun's face up close.  
  
It's then that he notices how warm it is. Sehun is curled up and cuddled into his side, still sleeping soundly, as if he belonged there. Jongin, too, must have felt that this is how it is supposed to be, otherwise he would have realized there was another body in his bed sooner. For a dreadful moment, he thinks that maybe they hooked up, but then he notices the layers of clothes between them. Jongin feels uncomfortable; he is still wearing his jeans.  
  
The door swings open before Jongin can decide on what to do next, whether to wake Sehun up or let him sleep and slip out of bed or to fall back asleep, and Taeoh storms into the bedroom. The boy stops in front of the bed, looking puzzled for a moment at the sight of his father sharing a bed with his godfather, but then he beams, all toothy smile with crinkled eyes.  
  
"Is daddy Hun living with us now?"  
  
"No, of course not, he's just sleeping over because it was late last night," Jongin hurries to say and registers the way Taeoh has referred to Sehun. "Wait, did you call him-"  
  
"I think your dad doesn't want me here," Sehun pipes up, voice deep and coarse, laughter tingling beneath. Jongin can't tell if Sehun is genuinely amused or just pretending to be joking in front of Taeoh who is pouting and looking at him intensely.  
  
"That's not true," Jongin defenses himself. "I do like having you around, but I don't think I should force you to stay here without you wanting to."  
  
Sehun's laughter intensifies. Jongin feels both flustered and upset, not knowing what exactly is so funny about this situation. Taeoh, too, looks confused.  
  
"But I told you yesterday, Jongin," Sehun whispers. "I don't mind. I'd love to be around and take care of Taeoh. I love Taeoh."  
  
And that sounds awfully similar to the words he heard last night.  
  
_I'd love to be around and take care of the both of you. I love you._  
  
Jongin feels a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He thinks he didn't reply to Sehun the night before, and he doesn't know if he can reply to Sehun now, in front of his son. But Sehun is requiring an answer, the expression on his face tells it all.  
  
"So?" Sehun inquires and sits up slowly. Jongin takes a deep breath. He knows what Taeoh wants, and he knows that deep down, he wants the same.  
  
“I’d love to have you around, too,” he whispers and lets Sehun pull him into a hug. Taeoh climbs onto the bed to join them, wiggling his small body in between the two adults’, and demands their attention. And who is Jongin to deny his child some love?  
  
  
  
  
  
A few months later, Sehun has moved in with them, foregoing the dating period. Jongin was worried that there might not be enough space for all three before, but now that he thinks about it, it’s perfect like this. Jongin and Sehun share a bedroom while Taeoh has his own, and the playroom is still Taeoh’s playroom, except they put another small desk right next to Jongin’s for when Sehun takes some work to finish at home.  
  
Living together makes coordination easier, too. Sehun and Jongin can easily talk about their schedules and adjust them to ensure that one parent is always free to pick up Taeoh from kindergarten, and on the weekends, usually both would take Taeoh outside to play, sometimes it’s just a stroll in the park, on other days they visit the aquarium, an amusement park or the zoo.  
  
Every day, Jongin wakes up with a smile on his face when he sees Sehun’s fluffy mop of hair, and no day passes by in which he doesn’t feel grateful for having Sehun in his life. He didn’t know it before, but now he is sure that Sehun completes their little family, even with all his minor flaws and faults. For example, Sehun is not a great cook, so Jongin has to compensate for it. Sehun is also rather lenient with Taeoh, spoiling the boy with sweets and new toys every other day. It’s gotten to the point that Taeoh’s toy collection is taking over half of his playroom, so here Jongin, seated on the ground, as he sorts out Taeoh’s belongings. He plans on giving some to his newborn nephew, but of course he only does that with Taeoh’s permission. He doesn’t want to upset his boy.  
  
“What about this one?” Jongin asks. “This one is missing a tire.”  
  
It’s the red toy car Taeoh brought home from kindergarten on last year’s children’s day. Taeoh played a lot with that one, and for a while, he even held the toy car in his arms when he went to bed. Jongin never questioned why, rather than that, he found it cute to see his son so attached to a toy, although secretly, he was a bit sad that Taeoh stopped clinging to the teddy bear Jongin bought him for his second birthday.  
  
“No!” Taeoh shouts and hurries over to Jongin to take back his red toy car.  
  
“But it’s broken,” Jongin says and frowns. “If we can’t fix it, then we should throw it away.”  
  
“Nooo,” Taeoh whines and makes grabby hands for his toy. “You can’t! Daddy gave it to me!”  
  
“Daddy?” Jongin asks for confirmation and looks up at Sehun who is entering the playroom. He looks good as ever, his eyes gentle and his smile so sweet that it distracts Jongin until Taeoh pries the toy car from his fingers.  
  
“Kim Taeoh,” Jongin starts putting on his strict parenting voice. That, added with Sehun’s sudden serious expression makes Taeoh pout, but the boy holds Jongin’s gaze, the fiery red toy pressed tighter against his chest. It reminds Jongin of that day he picked Taeoh up from kindergarten, when Taeoh did the same, holding the toy protectively in his arms.  
  
“Wasn’t it Ms. Kwon who gave you that toy?” Jongin asks, arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
“No,” Taeoh whispers quietly. “It was daddy.”  
  
“Why did you lie to me then?” Jongin continues asking, inwardly still shocked that his son had lied to him. How could such an innocent angel be a liar?  
  
“Ah that,” Sehun interrupts then, his quiet chuckle more irritating than attractive in this moment. “I asked Taeoh not to tell you.”  
  
“Why?” Jongin asks, his glare now directed at his boyfriend. Taeoh chooses that moment to escape the tension and run off. Jongin will have to deal with his son later, after having a good talk with Sehun.  
  
“Because you complained about me spoiling Taeoh too much,” Sehun says and smiles in a way that always manages to appease Jongin, but this time it infuriates him as well, mostly, because he feels like he will let Sehun off way too easily.  
  
“You did spoil Taeoh too much and even now, you’re spoiling him too!” Jongin accuses, but his words don’t seem to have the wanted effect. Instead of Sehun caving in, the other is still amused.  
  
“You just don’t want Taeoh to like me better than you because I buy him more gifts than you do,” Sehun says and hits the bullseye. Jongin is annoyed but he can’t deny that. It’s still upsetting though, upsetting and embarrassing. He never wanted to admit that he was jealous of all the people who seemed to be well liked by Taeoh and subsequently threatening his number one spot in his son’s heart.  
  
“But you know that no matter what, even if you’re the strict one, Taeoh will always love you the most, right?” Sehun asks. “After all, you took care of him all these years, and Taeoh, too, knows that you only mean well with everything you do.”  
  
“I do hope so,” Jongin sighs and leans into Sehun’s open arms, letting the other pull him into a hug. And as always, it doesn’t take long for a tiny body to wiggle its way into their cuddling session. Taeoh joins them, and he must have overheard their conversation for he whispers into Jongin’s ear  _I like daddy Sehun a lot, but I love daddy Jongin a lot more_. And just like that, Jongin’s worries and jealousy vanish, at least for the moment.


	3. bonus drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for the shiritori challenge here.

 

His work can wait. Jongin has never been a person to prioritize his career over everything, even though he tries his best to be an efficient worker. The better his performance, the higher the pay, and with more cash on hand he has more to spend on his lovely son and his equally lovely boyfriend.  
  
Jongin quickly saves all the files he has been working on and hastily shoves all the documents into his bag. Before he is out of the door though, another call comes in, and just the name Sehun flashing over his phone screen is enough to calm him down. The school must have informed not only Jongin, but Sehun, the other guardian as well.  
  
"Hi Jongin," Sehun greets, voice calm and stable. Jongin relaxes a little more, his footsteps slowing down until he comes to a halt in front of the elevator.  
  
"Did the school call you as well?" Jongin asks and Sehun hums in confirmation.  
  
"I'm on my way to Taeoh right now," Sehun tells him. "Go back to office if you're not in the car yet. You're busy with a project right now, so I'll watch over Taeoh."  
  
"But-" Jongin interjects, but is immediately cut off by the other.  
  
"No buts here," Sehun says, his firm tone letting no room to object. "Don't act irresponsibly, Jongin. You just got promoted, so you need to prove that you've been the right choice for this position. My boss said it was okay for me to leave early since there's not much to do in my department right now anyways. Stay in office, and I'll keep you updated."  
  
Sehun ends the call after that, and as much as Jongin would like to give in to his emotions and run to his son, he knows that Sehun is right. As always, Sehun acts as his voice of reason whenever Jongin starts to fret - and it is not uncommon for Jongin to start fretting whenever it's about his son. So Jongin walks back to his office and puts all the documents back onto his desk. He opens his laptop and tries to focus on his work.  
  
It's hard to be productive when worries are eating away at him though. Luckily for him, he gets a text from Sehun ten minutes later, stating that he is with Taeoh right now. It puts him at ease, although he doesn't know the details yet. But if Sehun says that Taeoh is alright, then it must be the truth. Sehun would never lie to him about this.  
  
  
  
  
It's later in the evening, when Jongin is finally off work and back at home, that he learns about what had actually happened at school. Apparently, Taeoh has been involved in a fight. When he saw a first grader being mocked and bullied for being in a single parent family, Taeoh had stepped in between.  
  
"I know fighting is bad," Taeoh says, his face all cute and pouty. "But I couldn't let them laugh at the poor boy!"  
  
"Violence is never a good choice," Jongin says and sits down opposite of Taeoh who is currently curled up on Sehun's lap.  
  
"But they pushed me first!" Taeoh whines, and Sehun nods, probably agreeing with Taeoh. Jongin knows that if it were Sehun, that if someone picked a fight with him and it already escalated into a physical and not purely verbal one, then Sehun would stand his ground and fight back.  
  
"You could have run away and told a teacher," Jongin suggests, at which both Sehun and his son frown.  
  
"And be a coward? No, Jongin," Sehun says, but is quick to shut up when Jongin glares at him. As parents, they need to agree on opinions and lessons they want to teach their kids. They have discussed that before, but sometimes Sehun doesn't seem to agree with Jongin's point of view, and this is one of those moments.  
  
"Anyways," Jongin says and looks at Taeoh who is clinging to Sehun and obviously sulking. The corners of his lips are turned downwards and he is not looking at Jongin at all.  
  
"I don't want to see you fighting ever again, young man," Jongin says and after Sehun gives the boy a little nudge, Taeoh mumbles a quiet  _yes, dad_. Sehun tells Taeoh to get ready for bed then, and the boy is quick to scurry to the bathroom, not once looking back at Jongin who pinches the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Hey," Sehun whispers and moves to sit next to Jongin, arms wrapped around Jongin's shoulders.  
  
"You shouldn't scold Taeoh too much," he says quietly. "Self-defense is not a crime. I think you should have praised him for defending the other kid instead."  
  
"It could have ended worse!" Jongin exclaims, almost jumping up to make his point, but Sehun is still holding on to him, so he stays seated, voice quieting down after Sehun gently taps his lips with a finger.  
  
"He was fighting fourth and fifth graders!" Jongin sighs. "They're bigger and stronger, and who knows what might have happened. It's just kids fighting, but accidents can always happen. What if he hit his head when they pushed him to the ground?"  
  
"Trust in Taeoh a little more," Sehun whispers. "He's a smart boy."  
  
Jongin closes his eyes and allows Sehun to soothe him further by quiet whispers and a gentle hand rubbing his back. He only opens his eyes again when Taeoh is standing in front of him, clad in his pajamas, and his two hands touching Jongin's knees.  
  
"Are you still upset with me?" Taeoh asks quietly, and never could Jongin be angry seeing those wide puppy eyes.  
  
"Of course not," Jongin says and welcomes his son into his arms. He is just glad that Taeoh is okay, and Sehun must be sharing the sentiment because he's pulling them into a tight group hug.

**Author's Note:**

> I was struggling a lot writing this, so it's with mixed feelings that I am submitting this fic. But as much as I love-hate my own writing, as long as there are people who enjoy what I've written, I will strive to become a better writer. And, if you're reading this, thank you for choosing to read this fic and stick with it until the end.


End file.
